Apparatus for moving pipe



1951 A. L. STONE APPARATUS FOR MOVING PIPE Filed Aug. 16, 1946 kl II. I

MZZM ATTORNEY.

Patented Jan. 9, 1951 APPARATUS FOR MOVING PIPE Albert L. Stone, Palos Verdes Estates, Califi, as-

signor, by mesne assignments, to Standard Oil Development Company, Elizabeth, N. 3., a corporation of Delaware Application August 16, 1946, Serial No. 690,946

3 Claims. (Cl. 214-1") lengths of pipe must be handled in the operation of withdrawing the drill stem from the hole and in the operation of returning the drill stem to the hole. In such conventional operations, it is common to raise the drill stem so that three joints of pipe, known as a stand, are above the surface of the earth, to unscrew the threaded connection joining the lower end of the stand to the remainder of the drill stem, then stack the disconnected stand in one side of the derrick. .It has heretofore been. the practice to station a man in the derrick, called the derrick man, who is assigned the task of grasping the upper end of each stand of pipe and controlling the movement of the upper end when a stand is being moved over into racking position. It has also been conventional for .a member of the crew on the derrick floor to control the movement of, the lower end of each stand as it is being placed in the rack.

The device of the present invention is particularly adapted for use in a derrick for controlling the movement of stands of pipe in the derrick. This device is adapted to be used for controlling the movement of either the upper or lower end of a stand of pipe having its axis substantially vertical as the stand is moved from the center of the derrick to one side of the derrick and from the rack to the center of the derrick.

The apparatus of the present invention may be described briefly as involving a hook adapted to engage with a stand of drill pipe having its axis substantia ly vertical when the stand is in the center of the derrick or when the stand has been racked in the derrick ad acent other stands ofpipe. The apparat s further includes means for extending or restricting the hook along an axis at right angles with the axis of the stand of pine grasped by the book. In other words. the apparatus is ada ted for handling a substantially vertical stand of pipe in a derrick and is arranged to engage with the stand and move it horizontally.

The device of the present invention wi l now 'be described i detail in conjunction with the drawing in which Fig. 1 is a top elevation showing an embodiment of the present invention,

Fig. 2 is an elevation, partly in section, taken at right angles to the View of Fig. 1;

Fig. '3 is a view taken along lines III-III of Fi 2;

Fig. 4 is a view takenalong line IVIV of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 5 is a View taken along line 'VV of Fig. 1.

Turning now specifically to the drawing, a base plate I] has mounted thereon spaced upwardly projecting housings l2, l3 and it. These housings are adapted to support a threaded tubular member I5. A hook member 55 is mounted on one end of member I5 and a stop member I! is mounted on the other end.

'It will be seen that the exterior surface of the major portion of member l5 defines a screw thread [3. A keyway is extends along the underside of member 15 parallel with the axis of the rod member and a central passage 2% extending the full length thereof.

Housing [2 is drilled to define a laterally extending opening in which is mounted a bushing 2| arranged for embracing the outside surface of square cut threads [8 thereby serving to support member [5. Housing I3 is similarly bored with an opening in which is mounted a bushing 2|. A keyway 22 is milled along the lower side of the interior of bushing 21 with a key 23 positioned therein which is arranged to engage with the keyway l9 defined by member 55. In other words, the assembly mounted in housing [2 is adapted to cooperate with the outer surfaces defined by thread 18 to support rod member 15 and with the keyway l 9 to prevent rotation of member !5.

The housing It is positioned between housings l2 and I3 and serv s as the mounting means for an assembly ada ted to move rod member [5 longitudinally, Housing I l is bored of a diameter such t at it will receive a bearing assembly com prising ball races 25 and 25 and bearings 2'1. A member 28 of a generally tubular shape and having its interior thread d to "mate with threads i3 is mounted for rotation -in the housing M. 'Member 25 defines a surface 23 which makes a sliding fit in r tain r 25 and is rovid d with threads on which is screwed ring 35; which contacts with retainer '25 and a second ring 3! which acts as a 'lock ring. Entry of foreign materials into the bearing assembly is prevented by closure 52 which is positioned between housing i4 and member 23 and closure 33 which is position d between m mber 28 and cover plate 3:1. The end of member 28 ad acent closure 32 extends outside the closure and has the configuration of a pulley with a groove 35 which provides the driving surface, for example, with a conventional v-shape'belt. a It will be seen that by providing .a suitable rotating means for member 28, it may be rotated in one direction which will cause the hook l6 of the member !5 to be moved away from the base plate and in the opposite direction to withdraw hook i6 toward the base plate. The movement of member 85 is limited in one direction by contact of lock nut 43 with bushing 21 and in the opposite direction by contact of stop member I? with bushing 2|.

Hook member it comprises a body having a generally annular shape adapted to be secured to the end of tubular member l5 and having a bifurcated portion, said bifurcated portion definmg hook portions and M. It will be understood that member iii may be attached to member in any suitable manner. ber iii is shown as attached to member l5 by screw threads 12 and is retained in the position by a lock nut 2 3. Portions 6B and 4! are bored to receive a headed pin at which is retained in position by washer 45 and cotter pin 46. Pin l l serves as a mounting means for movable curved member 41 which is mounted on pin 44 between an upper washer 48 and a lower bushing 49. Angular movement of curved member 4'! is limited by a dowel pin 5i! which has an end pressed into a hole dri led in member *3! and its other end in a suitable slot 5! which is formed in member 39 to define the extreme angular movement of curve member 41.

Member it! defines a cam surface 52 arranged to cooperate with vertically extending pin 5-3. Movement of pin 53 away from member l5 moves the free end of member t? toward member 48, or opens the hook whereby members 49 and 4! embrace a length of pipe, and movement of pin member 58 toward member 55 moves the free end of member 41 toward the free end of mem ber ii thereby retaining the pipe between memii and 47.

The movement of pin member 53 away from and toward member If: to cause angular movement of member 6! for grasping and releasing pipe is controll d by rod 54 arranged in passage 2i? of member l5. One end of rod 54 is secured to pin 53 and the other end defines a plunger. Rod member 54! may be secured to pin 53 by any suitable means; in the drawing, pin 53 is rovided with a bore into which an end of member 5 extends and 5 5 and are provided with suitable bores for receiving a small pin 55. The plunger assembly mounted on rod 55 comprises a washer 55, packing member 5?, washer 58 and retainina nut 59. It will be seen that the end of rod 55 is of somewhat reduced diameter and defines a shoulder against which washer 5E fits snu ly. At the end of passage 28 is arranged a bushing fill having an interior diameter into which rod -5 fits slidably. Bushing 6i! and washer 56 serve closes the end of passage 20. In the operation of the device, if it is desired to move the free end of member 41 away from member ll it is necessary only to impose pressure in passage 26 great enough to overcome the tension of spring 6!; such a pressure movesthe ;f ree end of member 41 away from thejfree. end

In the drawing, memof member 4! thereby allowing the hook member to be released from a stand of pipe if a stand of pipe has been embraced thereby or, alternatively, to place the hook in position for grasping a piece of pipe. When it is desired to move the free end of member 4'! toward the free end of member 4| the pressure within passage 20 is released thereby allowing the spring 6| to move pin member 53 to the left which, in turn, engages with the cam surface 52 and moves the free end of member 47 toward the free end of member 4! thereby closing the hook.

Having fully described and illustrated a preferred embodiment of the present invention, what I desire to claim is:

-.1. A device adapted for grasping and releasing a vertical section of pipe in a drilling derrick. comprising, in combination, a base member adapted to be mounted in a drilling derrick, a horizontally extending elongated member having a free end and mounted on said base member for movement along a horizontal axis coinciding with the axis of said elongated member, a hook assembly mounted on the free end of said elongated member comprising a first elem nt fixed with respect to the elongated member defining a first end with vertical surfaces thereof substantially parallel with the axis of the elongated member and laterally displaced away from the outer surface of said elongated member, and a movable member mounted for arcuate movement about a vertical axis perpendicular to that of the elongated member and having a second end adapted to be moved toward and away from said first end.

2. A device adapted for grasping and releasing a vertical section of pipe in a drilling derrick comprising in combination a base plate adapted to be mounted in a drilling derrick, a horizontally extending rod member, a housing supported by a base plate and adapted to embrace the rod member to support the rod member for movement along a horizontal axis coinciding with the axis of said rod member, a hook member carried by one end of said rod member,

' said hook member defining a first prong having vertical surfaces substantially parallel with and spaced laterally away from the outer surface of the rod member and a movable member mounted for arcuate movement about a vertical axis perpendicular to the axis of the rod, said movable member defining a cam surface adjacent its mounting means and a curved end shaped to move toward and away from said first end as the movable member is given angular motion, and means adapted to cooperate with said cam surface for giving said movable member arcuate motion.

3. A device in accordance with claim 2 in which the means giving said movable member arcuate motion is a pin arranged to contact said cam surface, a rod secured to said pin, a spring member embracing said rod and a plunger mounted on said rod.

ALBERT L. STONE.

REFERENCES crrEn The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

' UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 767,835 Raoul Aug. 16, 1904 1,958,846 Christensen May 15, 1934 o '-2 ,-l62;653 Umphres June 13, 1939 2,283,614 Schmidt May 19, 1942 

